


Finding Home

by Aeltari



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Canon Divergent, Gen, Memories, Origin Story, Starting Over
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-18 01:37:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11281026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeltari/pseuds/Aeltari
Summary: Guinevere Hannah Stanton had had a perfect life. A wonderful husband, a precious new baby and a beautiful home in an idyllic neighbourhood.  Then the bombs fell. Then her world came apart.





	Finding Home

_"I just want to watch the world burn_."

Those words, said in jest by a friend were now a suffocating truth. Words from another time that had become the current reality. A crippling, devastating reality. She wanted to scream at them to take the words back, shake them and make them realize the horror of those words. But the speaker was long dead. 210 years behind her in another time and place.

Guinevere Stanton rolled over and pulled the blanket tighter around her. Outside she heard the distinctive footfalls of Preston Garvey as he did his nightwatch. Elsewhere the quiet laughter of Sturges floated on the night air as he no doubt entertained Mama Murphy by the campfire in the carport across the street.

Behind her, a warm body shifted and she felt a furry weight come to rest across her neck. "Its ok boy," she whispered, more to comfort herself than the German Shepherd. The dog whined softly.

_"I really hope we find that dog," Guinevere said to her husband Nate as she sipped a cup of coffee and gazed at the dish on the floor. "I can't stand the idea of him lost and alone out there. I just don't know what possessed him to dash out the door like that."_

_"It's only been a few days," answered Nate, giving her a kiss on the side of her head. "The neighbors are all keeping an eye out. Animals can be unpredictable hon. We can get another dog, or a cat if you want. Didn't the Millers female just have a litter of kittens?"_

_She had made a non comittal sound and tried to put it out of her mind. Nate was always trying to fix things. Even things that couldn't be fixed. It was an appreciable trait but this time it irked her. A lost pet couldn't just be replaced like a toaster. She loved that silly dog with his floppy ears and wiry hair and a tail that never quit._

"Rex was nothing like you," she whispered. "But I still miss him."

The shepherd whined again.

Guinevere turned over and put her arms around him. "Don't think i'm not grateful for finding you though."

The shepherd, whom the chem clairvoyant Mama Murphy referred to as Dogmeat, had simply appeared one day and bonded to Guinevere. The poor dog with the terrible name had become her closest companion.

Outside her room she heard the hiss of Codsworth's thruster. The Mr. Handy bot that she and Nate had initially been so reluctant to try, had been a shocking site when she had first emerged from the vault. He had remained at their home such as it was and although his once shiny white frame was now a dull grey with evidence of damage, he had managed to keep himself running for 210 years. He had tried, against the limits of his initial programming, to provide a sense of continuity for his once lost mistress. Guinevere noted that his AI seemed to have grown and evolved. It disturbed her slightly, but seeing a familiar face was more important to her.  

It had been Codsworth who had told her how much time had passed. He had led her through the remains of her once beautiful home, where he had desperately tried to restore order.

_"I'm sorry its in such a state Miss Guinevere," the bot said apologetically. "But raiders came in and chased me off. I thought running away and returning later on would be more clever. I knew I couldn't serve your family properly if I were to be damaged or disassembled. They never stay for long."_

_"Raiders?" She asked._

_"Yes mum. Terrible groups who pillage and murder for a few caps. They made quite a mess and I've not gotten it managed yet."_

_More strange words she didn't comprehend. "What do you mean by caps, Codsworth?"_

_"Bottle caps, Miss Guinevere. The currency of the new world!"_

_She had almost laughed at that. She and Nate had collected quite a variety as children. Codsworth floated into the yard and moved a few rocks aside. He lifted out a dented and tarnished metal box and handed it to her. "It's not much I'm sorry to say. I've collected all I can. But it'll give you a bit of bartering power at least."_

_She had thanked him, but had no idea what to do with the little box. She put it back under the rocks._

_Codsworth took her around the neighbourhood and she saw the extent of the devastation. Nuclear war and the passage of two centuries had rendered the once beautiful Sanctuary Hills unrecognizable. It was utter chaos. As she held back her tears, her father's stern voice echoed in her mind. "Now Guinevere, there's no room for tears. Find order!"_

For a week she had feverishly cleared her once lovely home. Dragging out broken bits and pieces of this and that, using a makeshift rake to gather up and burn pile after pile of leaves, it wasn't until she had reached her infant son's room that Guinevere broke.

She had cried, screamed more likely, until she had no tears left and her voice was hoarse. She wanted to wake up from the nightmare. She wanted Nate to come walking back into the house holding their son, that endearing grin on his face, taking away and fixing what was wrong so it wouldn't upset her anymore.

But he wouldn't.

Not ever again.

Codsworth had hovered helplessly beside her, one of his mechanical arms on her shoulder, in a pitiful attempt to offer comfort. 

* * *

Guinevere had been an only child, raised in a military family. Her father had been a decorated officer. Her mother had also served in her youth but wasn't interested in going career. Elizabeth Ames had become a literature teacher. She had met and married Martin Stanton and taught with passion at every post they were sent to. When Guinevere was born, Elizabeth devoted herself to the little girl.

Guinevere Hannah Stanton had been a sweet little girl who made friends easily. The family's constant travel opened her mind to many races and cultures and Guinevere thrived.  Her father was a strict disciplinarian but always fair. His daughter had strived to please him. He taught her to form order out of chaos, showing her how to be strong and resilient. He didn't put up with tantrums and tears: Martin demanded action and problem solving. Sweet, sensitive Guinevere had a rough time understanding her father's tough love.

If not for his lessons kicking in when she emerged from cryostasis, she was sure she would have died. Knowing how to lock and load a gun had been her saving grace. The 10mm pistol she found in the vault had given her protection and food.

Martin had been sent back to Boston when she was 12 and their travel days had ended. She had become instant friends with the family next door, the father and mother both being her mother's work colleagues. The Hawthornes had several children, each named after a famous literary persona. It had begun with the eldest, Nathaniel. Then came Emily Brontë Hawthorne, Daphne duMaurier Hawthorne and Virginia Woolf Hawthorne. They had hoped their children would follow in their footsteps. But Nathaniel had joined the military right after high school.

Guinevere's teenage years were filled with social events and dates. She was a good student and enjoyed her studies. Nate wasn't as keen and many hours of tutoring over the summer of his graduating year blossomed their friendship into romance, and the childhood sweethearts married the day Nate had finished basic training. He taught his wife about military weapons and armor in his zest for his new profession. She, the dutiful wife, listened politely although she had no interest in it. Her father had inundated her enough.

Little Shaun was born at the conclusion of Nate's second tour of duty. He had been pondering his future plans and they moved into the brand new homestead called Sanctuary Hills. They chose the fantastically named 'home of the future' with every modern amenity available. It came with the Mr. Handy robot which they were apprehensive about at first, and Guinevere didn't want it handling their son. That changed once she saw how gentle and kind Codsworth was. He became family.

Needing something of her own to fill her time, Guinevere embarked on a career as a writer for a magazine. It allowed her to be with Shaun and earn a modest income. She wrote about military life, motherhood, and anything she could think of. When her editor approached her about looking into a company called Vault-Tec, Guinevere was intrigued. Political tension was growing worldwide, and here was a company who had built intricate worlds beneath the ground to sustain life in the event of nuclear war.

No part of her believed it could ever happen.

After her story was published, Vault-Tec sent a representative to see her and sign them up. She had politely declined. The 2 million dollar pricetag for a spot in a nearby vault was far and away over their heads.  Twice more the rep came to see her, doing his best to entice her participation. Again she ushered him out with a firm refusal.

Things changed the night she had awoken to the hushed tones of her husband and a military buddy talking. Stephan, who was still in the ranks, had intercepted intel that the enemy was mobilizing, that they were loading nuclear warheads onto subs and silos.  Talks between them and other countries had broken down and the media had been ordered to supress it. The fear in Nate's voice had frozen her heart, and when the vault tec rep came back again, this time with a reasonable payment plan, Nate suggested they accept. 

Guinevere had felt the fear slowly creeping into her idyllic world. Neighbors whispered over fences and dinner tables that rumors were flying about the end of the world. Street corner preachers screamed repentance, riots broke out in several cities and violence was escalating. People moved family closer together. The current of tension was taking it's toll and yet the media remained silent on the truth.  Nate openly wondered if his old unit would pull him back in. 

The last time she saw her parents, Guinevere asked Martin if there was any truth to the rumors about war. He refused to say but his parting words to her were _"its good that you got into one of those vault plans."_

She had wondered if her parents and friends had survived the bombs. Had they gone into one of the many public shelters? Had the military, that Martin Stanton dedicated his life to, gotten him and her mother into a bunker? Could they still be alive somewhere out there? But on a return trip into the vault for supplies and subsequent hacking into the computer by Codsworth told her that vault 111 was the only one with a cryostasis set up, and to her horror she discovered that it had been a scientific experiment. She had to accept that everyone she had known was gone.  It had been the last vestige of hope for her. She was well and truly alone.

She decided, on Codsworth's suggestion, to visit the nearby town of Concord. Aside from raiders and a few cap stashes, she found nothing. On her second visit Guinevere found a ragtag group holed up in a museum. They were desperate, cornered and trapped by raiders. Only one of them bore a weapon, a young man named Preston Garvey. He talked about a militia group called the Minutemen, but most of it went over her head. Another member of the group was a southerner who called himself Sturges.  He launched into a plan about a vertibird and a power armor suit that left her mind reeling. But the one person who intrigued her the most was an older lady who called herself Mama Murphy. She had an intense gaze and seemed to stare right through Guinevere. 

_"Your path is a hard one, kid. Who is it you're searching for?"_

_Guinevere had been surprised. She'd said nothing to any of them about Shaun. "My son. He's just a baby. They kidnapped him from the Vault where I came from."_

_The old lady nodded slowly. "You come from a different world. Your son, he's alive! I feel his energy. I see it."_

_"How do you know this? Where can I find him?" Desperation edged her voice._

_"If you bring Mama Murphy some jet, I can try to help you. I need the chems for the Sight."_

_Guinevere wanted to cry. For a moment she had believed the old woman. But now she figured it was just an elaborate ruse to aquire drugs.  "You're an addict! I'm not giving you drugs!"_

_"You're right about that. Ever since I was young the Sight comes to me through the chems. Kid...your man...someone killed him didn't they. I feel...cold. A cold place underground."_

_Guinevere had swallowed hard. There was no way she could have known any of that. Mama Murphy's eyes hazed and her lids began to droop. "I need to rest kid. Chems wearing off. No more sight."_

_Preston sighed. "I keep telling her no more. It'll kill her. She gets some any way."_

_Guinevere had stared at the old lady. Her little boy was alive. She wanted to believe, so she did._

Preston had promised to help her if she helped his group get out of the museum. She needed people on her side, and found herself in a rusty suit of power armour holding a mini gun and shredding the raiders.

She had followed Preston and his group to Sanctuary. She had divulged who she was which surprised the lot of them.  Guinevere had hung around and helped the motley crew clean up and start rebuilding. However, Jun Long was mentally incapacitated and traumatized and did little to no work. His wife Marcy was an abrasive chronic complainer who did work but made sure to be as unpleasant as possible to everyone. Guinevere did her best to be compassionate: their son had been killed by raiders and Jun blamed himself, but she found she couldn't handle being around the two of them. She decided it was time to strike out on her own. Sanctuary Hills was part of her past, and she needed to move forward.

Mama Murphy had suggested she go to Diamond City. It was as good a place as any to start.  It amused her to learn that it was built in the confines of the baseball stadium. The group had been enthralled by her stories of the old world love of the baseball game.  They told her of a vendor there who sold baseball memorabilia and told a vastly different tale of the game. Guinevere had laughed so hard, her eyes watered.  

* * *

"You'll always be welcome here," said Preston with a small smile. "We appreciate all you've done for us.  I hope you find your son. I'll keep an ear to the ground."

Guinevere had felt slightly put out that he hadn't put forth any real effort to help her. Preston's focus was on rebuilding the Minutemen, and he had expected she would join in the effort. It seemed to her he didn't understand that she needed to find her son. He tried to convince her to lead them, but she felt in no way able to take on such a task. She wasn't leader material, and the Minutemen would be a distraction she didn't need. 

Codsworth and Dogmeat followed her as she headed out of Sanctuary Hills, over the bridge and down the road. Her family now consisted of an old robot and a wandering dog. But at least she wasn't alone.

A few minutes out of town she stopped and glanced at the remains of the Red Rocket Diner. She and Nate had frequented the place, making memories she now relived. Slowly, Guinevere picked her way over the debris and went inside. Her mind flashed back to the way it had once looked. She touched the dusty countertops. Dogmeat whined.

"What do you think boy?" She asked. "Think we can clean it up?"

Dogmeat barked and spun around.

"Are you thinking of fixing this up, mum?" Asked Codsworth as he floated in beside her. "If you are, I daresay this little room here would make a cozy bedroom!"

She suddenly had a feeling of warmth steal over her. Yes. This could work. It would be her home.  A place to plan her next move.

"We'll need defenses Codsworth. I have no idea how to build anything. Not even a fence. And I don't think I'll find any books to help me, not to mention tools."

"Chin up mum!" Chirped the bot. "In these 210 years I've managed to amass quite a bit of knowledge. If you permit me, I'll be happy to share it with you!"

"I need all the help I can get!"

Codsworth floated past her into the little room that had once been an office. "I suggest we begin in here. You need a safe place to rest."

Together they began the task of removing what wasn't needed and little by little Guinevere learned.

As the three of them stood and observed all they'd accomplished a month later, Guinevere thought about her father. _See dad?_ She thought. _I've done it. Order out of chaos._  

It wasn't perfect. But it was home.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sadly aware that stories involving an original character are seen as rather boring to readers, but I feel it's worth sharing just the same. Guinevere is the heroine in my fic At First Sight, and should anyone be curious about her origins, this will give a glimpse into her pre war days.


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